Introverted vs. Extroverted

I’ve always been an introvert. I would rather listen than talk. I would rather work alone than with a group. I would rather sit at home and read (or write) than go out with friends on the weekend.

Does this make me a bad person?

My theory is (and please comment if you disagree) that American society values extroversion much more than introversion and it’s easy to see why. Extroverts are perceived to be go-getters, team players, upbeat, and peppy.

Introverts have their good points as well. We’re good listeners. Often, we can be very creative. We notice and pick up on things that others might not see. We’re not anti-social or reclusive.

Please leave a comment if you feel the same way or even if you think I’m absolutely crazy. I appreciate any and all responses. Have a great day! 🙂

9 thoughts on “Introverted vs. Extroverted”

I’m definitely a firm introvert, I interact when needed or around close friends but other than that I stay to myself. I love listening more than speaking, you learn a lot more that way, at least in my opinion. But we need introverts and extroverts, If we were all introverts the world would just be humans observing other humans observe them while we all just kind of do nothing.

And a world of extroverts would probably have a little too much talking and not enough silence.

I’m an introvert. I recharge by being alone and don’t need much in the way of social interaction.

But I’m a bit of a chameleon.

When I’m around other people, most would assume that I’m extroverted because I’m often “the life of the party.” I feel comfortable talking to people on any number of subjects. I enjoy telling funny stories, and making people laugh.

I expect being an attorney did me a world of good in helping me shed my introverted tendencies when out in public.

Being introverted causes one to be a bit more thoughtful, contemplative, and observant. For writers . . . that’s a good thing.

The only time I can ever be called “extroverted” is when I’m around people I know really well. It takes me a very long time to warm up to new people, but once I know them, I can talk about pretty much anything… but it’s still exhausting for me to be around people too long.

I always prefer being around people I know. But, then once I’m forced into a social situation that helps me to meet new people, I usually become comfortable around them as well. I will be the first to admit that a glass of wine helps to bring out the extravert in me.